3 Stake Out Claims To Governor's Post

HOLLYWOOD, FLA. — The three Democratic candidates for governor staked out their territory among the party faithful Sunday in their first major addresses of the 1986 campaign season.

State Senate President Harry Johnston stressed his commitment to continuing the course charted by recent Democratic governors, former Rep. Steve Pajcic emphasized his youth and fresh ideas, and Sen. Frank Mann attacked his opponents.

The speeches on the closing day of the state Democratic Party conference were important because of the extensive media coverage the gathering of 2,000 Democrats received. The candidates had not before appeared together in such a high-profile forum.

While the candidates prepared to address the conference, outgoing Gov. Bob Graham huddled in a suite with his consultants to plot strategy for his U.S. Senate race. The governor plans to formally announce his candidacy against incumbent Republican Paula Hawkins in January.

Calling both Johnston and Pajcic by their first names, Mann blasted them for accepting an inordinate amount of campaign money from political action committees and accused them of jeopardizing the trust of state residents.

An underdog who has little to lose by going on the offensive, Mann, D-Fort Myers, aimed his sharpest barb at Pajcic, who resigned from office last June saying it would be improper to use that office to raise campaign money. Mann noted that Pajcic, D-Jacksonville, collected $750,000 before he left the House.

Johnston, D-West Palm Beach, was berated for raising $100,000 from one law firm -- Steel, Hector and Davis -- whose members regularly practice before the governor and Cabinet.

Mann, whose attacks drew boos from an audience that had been living and breathing party unity for three days, got loud applause when he criticized Johnston for selecting a running mate -- Attorney General Jim Smith -- who publicly flirted with the Republican Party early this year.

Smith was conspicuously absent from the conference. That was particularly noteworthy because he and Johnston have until now made almost every move in lockstep. Aides to the Johnston campaign said Smith had previous commitments at the Florida State University homecoming festivities.

Johnston and Pajcic, neck-and-neck frontrunners in the campaign, avoided direct attacks on each other during their speeches.

Johnston, however, made clear that he won't succumb to Pajcic's calls for other candidates to resign their elected offices. Implying that the resignation issue is a gimmick, Johnston said he won't abdicate the public's trust.

''I intend to lead the Senate until my job is done,'' Johnston said.''I shall not resign and I do not apologize for it.''

The Senate terms of both Johnston and Mann expire in November 1986. Pajcic's House term would have expired at the same time.

Stressing his record in the areas of growth management, child protection and education, Johnston said he wants to continue on the progressive path pioneered by Democratic governors LeRoy Collins, Reubin Askew and Bob Graham. Pajcic also mentioned Democratic leaders, but talked more of ''fresh leadership and fresh approaches.'' Pajcic noted he is the only candidate born after 1940 and is in the best position to attract young voters who are increasingly registering as Republicans.

Pajcic is 39. Johnston is 53 and Mann is 44.

While making a pitch to the young, Pajcic also made a major stride toward grabbing the senior citizen vote. Introducing him to the conference was Annie Ackerman, queen of the South Florida condominiums.

Ackerman, who learned her political skills in the wards of Chicago, has a reputation of delivering thousands of senior citizen votes.

''He is young, he has the vigor, he has dynamics, he has vision and he knows he can take Florida into the 21st century,'' Ackerman said of Pajcic.

Strategists for the Pajcic and Johnston campaigns said the speeches were designed to distinguish their candidate from the others but not to appear combative.

''The time hasn't come yet to get into anything beyond what his message is and why he's running,'' said Sergio Bendixen, a consultant to the Pajcic campaign.

Steve Hull, a consultant to the Johnston campaign, said Johnston was trying to stress his stable, unwavering leadership. An unspoken undertone appeared to be that Pajcic has become more conservative since he decided to run for governor.

''We have experience that has not changed, it has been stable,'' Hull said. ''We're going to continue in the tradition of Graham and Askew.''